A Noble Affair
by John Lander
Summary: Anora lives in exile, with only a country manor and a handful of servants to her name she feels her life is empty. When a visitor from the Royal Court arrives to relay his king's regards the two share a moment which leads to something more. (Contains spoilers from The Red Warden series) A one off short story.


**A Noble Affair**

Jayden attempted to straighten his jacket; he was more comfortable in a suit of armour compared to silken clothing most nobles wore. He stood at the gates of Connelstave Manor with a Royal letter in one hand and with his other hand kept a firm grip on his riding reins. The guards on the other side of the large wooden doors opened them for the young noble; they had been expecting him for a while and when his way was clear Jayden pulled on the reins signalling his mount to slowly gallop to his destination.

Travelling along a gravel path within a spacious garden Jayden felt it was a rather splendid place to house a foreign noblewoman. Yet he could challenge his king on the matter, the offer was accepted and the gold had been exchanged before anyone could object to the terms. At the end of the path in the middle of the grassy plains was a small yet luxurious manor house, it had been built for the sole purpose of housing a former monarch who now lives there in exile. As he rode through the gatehouse and into the courtyard a singles servant rushed out from the manor doors and waited on the stairs leading up to them patiently to greet the young noble. As he dismounted his horse Jayden handed the reins of the noble beast to one of the stable hands before making his way over to the great doors to greet the member of the household who had bothered to greet him.

"Your Lordship," the servant said as he bowed in respect, "It is a pleasure to see you on this fine day"

Jayden rested his left hand upon the handle of his sword, "A fine day indeed, I'm here on behalf of his Majesty to visit her Ladyship"

The servant led the way for the noble; both of entered into the main hall of the manor while the servant focused on taking the visitor to the study Jayden was interested in the drapes and relics his host had brought with her from her homeland. As he ventured down a narrow hallway he looked upon a large tapestry that depicted a battle of some kind, from what he could tell there were a number of soldiers marching toward a river. It was only until he reached the centre of the tapestry where he saw an armoured warrior leading the soldiers into battle against Orlesian chevaliers and from there it became obvious that his was a depiction of the Battle of River Dane. Getting to the end of the corridor the servant knocked on the door before slowly opening and letting Jayden enter the room.

Looking around at a rather cosy study Jayden was amazed to see shelves filled with books along the walls, a wide range of book of different topics yet given he was not there to study literature he had no choice but to push the thought from his mind. At the other end of the study a large window allowed natural light to illuminate the room, by the window was a desk facing outward yet the woman who was in the study was sitting facing the door to the room. She wore a grey dress with bodice around her chest and waist. Her hair was a golden blonde tied back into two braided buns at the back of her head revealing her rather fair and beautiful complexion. She sat reading a book yet when she heard the door close she closed it and placed it onto the desk before turning her attention onto her guest.

"Your ladyship," Jayden said as he bowed in respect.

"I see the King of Pedgite is not even bothered to greet me himself," the woman stated bitterly, "So in his place he sends a child. In that act alone it shows how much respect King Tristian has for me"

"I'm an emissary on his behalf," Jayden replied, "I also have a letter from his majesty"

Jayden approached the woman and handed her the envelope, she examined the waxed seal with the king's royal seal yet she gave it little attention. Placing it on the desktop behind her she remained focused on the dignitary who had graced her with his presence. Leaving her seat she slowly approached him while looking him up and down while examining every detail of his clothes and even his body language. When she learned all she could she simply asked him, "Something tells me you are not a simple messenger, if that is so, my name is…"

"Anora Mac Tir," Jayden interrupted, "Formally Queen of Ferelden and daughter of Teryn Loghain"

Anora was somewhat impressed by this young man's knowledge, "I see you are well educated in political matters"

"When your father is a high ranking noble men and close friend with the King you get a wide range of information about nobles and edicts for the realm,"

"…are you…Jayden Brent?"

Jayden let a smile slowly appear on his face before bowing again, "The one and only your ladyship"

Anora slowly walked around the young noble while examining him yet again, "So, you are the Defender of Pedgite, Heir to the Teyrny of Greenstone, Pedgite's ambassador to the Dwarven kingdom of Talmazor and beloved hero of both kingdoms. I thought you would be older"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you your ladyship,"

"If I compare you to many young nobles who live off the wealth of their families you have achieved a great deal. In fact, I am very impressed with you and your deeds as well as your connections,"

"Connections?"

Anora went back over to the desk and in a very informal fashion she on the desktop in order to gain some comfort in order to continue with the conversation, "Well of course; one is the king of a newly established kingdom, the other being the first mage ever allowed to bare a title and hold land. Your closest friend and fraternal brother has been invited to join the Chevaliers in Orlais and an elven ranger you travelled with is the Bann of a Dalish settlement. For a group of young people those are some great achievements added onto the fact you saved your homeland"

"Since we both know about each other," Jayden replied as she approached the desk to lean against it, "If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them so long as you answer mine"

Anora looked toward the door to the study before opening one of the top draws and took out a black bottle with the words 'West Hill Brandy' written on a piece of parchment applied to it. Jayden was somewhat surprised, he expected a noble lady who had once been queen to be more refined and reserved yet instead she seemed more liberal than he was thinking the daughter of Loghain was described. Watching as she briskly opened the bottle before taking a small mouthful of the beverage, he could visibly see Goosebumps appear then quickly disappear along her neck which was quiet a site indeed.

Anora put the bottle down on the desktop before looking at Jayden to see he was surprised by her actions, "You look as if you have seen the Maker, something wrong?"

"Forgive me for saying this, your ladyship but…I expected you to be more…more conservative. I heard you were charming, intelligent and somewhat domineering. But drinking brandy, at this time of day?"

Anora laughed under her breath before leaning across her desk with her arm keeping her up, "Look around Lord Brent, I'm an exile in a foreign land with no chance of being inviting back to my homeland. I hardly receive any visitors besides an envoy from your king, with a few hunting parties wanting to use my land for sport I gain a very small income apart from these books I have little to no form of entertainment. What else do you expect a woman to do, plaster her face with a soulless smile and pretend nothing is wrong?"

"Well," Jayden added, "I have never been in exile, but, I know what it feels like to be ignored. Before I was seen as a hero by my countrymen hardly anyone would speak to me"

Both Jayden and Anora looked at each other; she had a curious look in her eye, as if she wanted to ask him a question which might cause something of a scandal if anyone else discovered there was even a hint of truth to it. Carefully budging closer to young man Anora took the bottle from the side and handed it to Jayden, "Since you are my guest it is only courteous I share a drink and a tale"

Jayden was expecting a formal and icy reception and instead he was greeted with a rather flamboyant atmosphere and a warmer host than he first thought. Out of respect he took the bottle from Anora's hand and swigged a mouthful of the brandy, its sharp and cold taste caused his spine to shiver as it slid down his throat. Placing the bottle back on the counter he could still taste a bizarre after taste while trying not to flinch, "That was…something"

Anora laughed in amusement at Jayden's reaction to the taste of port, "Too strong for you?"

"…Afraid so,"

Anora fell silent for a moment as she mustered the courage to ask a rather person question, "…forgive me if this seems too person, but I have to ask. There are rumours regarding your private life and it has become something of a interesting mystery to many, including myself. Did you have a Qunari mistress?"

Jayden let the gleeful smile fall from his face as he turned away from Anora, "…I take it you are obviously referring to Ashaad?"

"The Qunari mercenary, yes"

Realising he had to be honest with his host Jayden plucked up the pride to look into her eyes when replying, "Ashaad was not my mistress, she was my lover. She was the first woman I ever loved, I cared for her deeply regardless of if she were not Andrastian or not human. She was unlike anyone else I had ever known and when she left she took a part of me with her, she left a mark upon my soul which could not even be removed by Andraste herself"

Anora could almost feel his pain as if it were spreading to her like an illness; such emotion invoked a rather blissful memory of her marriage to Cailan. She thought it was only right that she share her experience with the young noble, "The pain of loss can be a terrible thing indeed, when my husband fell at Ostagar I was heartbroken. Hearing that he died was the worst news I could have heard yet not even being able to visit his grave or to lay him to rest was a living torment for me. Unlike you I was not even granted the possibility of closure so I can understand the pain you feel"

"I feel somewhat guilty saying this, alas it is true, that for that passes I feel the pain of my loss slowly fade. I guess you could say that with each day that goes by I miss her less and less, I feel somewhat guilty for saying it but never the less"

Anora saw something in Jayden that reminded her of her deceased spouse; he was confident and supportive but unlike Cailan he was better in touch with the world around him and matters of state she rather enjoyed seeing someone such as Lord Brent. With her hand she slowly stroked Jayden's hair as she wondered how it felt, she found that brown hair on a man was much more attractive any other shade. Unbeknownst to herself Anora was somewhat attracted to Jayden as he embodied the aspects of her deceased husband with the traits she wished he had.

"You are how Cailan should have been," Anora uttered so quietly it could almost be mistake for a whisper.

Jayden looked into Anora's eyes and captivated by her steaming blue irises. Her beauty was all he could focus on at that moment, "…are you saying…I'm better than the King of Ferelden?"

"In that way that you concern yourself with political matters yes," she replied, "Not to mention you would be a great improvement over King Allister"

Jayden nervously laughed but as he continued to stare into her eyes he felt his worries slowly subside. He could feel something sort of attraction growing for Anora, they had only just met alas he knew it was due to her beauty that he felt an attraction for her. Clearing his throat Jayden thought it was only wise to tell his host some personal truths, "…I should mention that apart from Ashaad I have not been with many women"

"I have not been with many men, if that puts your mind at ease,"

Anora placed her hand on Jayden's shoulder before slowly pulling him closer into to engage in a romantic moment. Her lips touched his as she kissed the young noble slowly yet passionately deeply enjoying it. Jayden was surprised but given a beautiful woman was kissing him he felt little need to object. As they kissed Jayden ran his hand across Anora's waist while the other went up and down her back. Not long after that she pushed him backward onto the desk and climbed on top of him while their passion seemed to be growing in intensity.


End file.
